Ever since the Taiyi Sect cruelly tore the lovers apart, Yin Ji had veiled her face in black gauze. She stopped attending most events and broke off contact with all men, adopting an air of quiet detachment and resignation to a solitary life. Everyone knew this was her unspoken rebellion, her silent fury.
Any official Walker with some seniority knew the reason behind Yin Ji's veil, and knew even better that removing it was an absolute taboo.
Unless one wished to thoroughly infuriate this jewel of the Taiyi Sect, no one dared touch her veil.
Therefore, when Miao Teng'er saw Yuanshi Tianzun tear off Yin Ji's veil with a sinister grin, she immediately knew he was still in a demonic, erratic state.
To prevent Yuanshi Tianzun from taking things even further, Miao Teng'er felt it necessary to alert Elder Dog.
"He ripped off Yin Ji's veil?" Elder Dog's voice grew grave. "He truly has gone mad. I'll come over immediately. Keep a close eye on him, but do not provoke him."
Elder Dog did not waste time asking why Yuanshi Tianzun was unstable, hanging up the phone in a rush.
Cross-legged on the floor, Zhang Yuanqing held the veil in his hand, looking down in a daze at the face before him.
There was naturally not a single flaw in Yin Ji's facial features. Yet flawless faces were each distinct in their own way, giving rise to beauties of vastly different temperaments.
This face was exquisitely gentle and lovely. Her delicate eyebrows were finely arched, and her lips were plump and naturally flushed red, evoking an instinctive impression of soft suppleness.
The skin of her cheeks had a healthy, rosy glow, free of any imperfections typical of adults, fair and delicate like that of a newborn infant.
Her features were open and graceful. She was clearly a goddess-tier beauty, yet gazing upon her face, one felt neither inferior nor intimidated.
This was a remarkably rare, gentle countenance.
Even the most insecure person, looking at this face, would feel they could become friends with her—and perhaps even tease or bully her a little.
She did not possess Xiao Yuan's aggressive, chilly allure, nor the Empress's unearthly, transcendent coolness, nor Xie Lingxi's fresh and budding charm, nor Guan Ya's sharp, mixed-race sophistication.
Her beauty was mild, elegant, and refined.
She was like a jade-like lady of noble birth.
Because of her fall, her smooth black hair was slightly disheveled, strands draping across her pale cheeks and lending her an air of heartbreaking vulnerability.
To Zhang Yuanqing, the face was unfamiliar, yet he felt she was always meant to look like this, perfectly matching her gentle demeanor.
Zhang Yuanqing stared blankly for a long moment before the left corner of his mouth curled into an evil smirk. "Fascinating. No wonder the Demon Lord fell for you!"
Just as the words left his mouth, Yin Ji's eyes snapped open.
With the weakened state expired, she had broken through the spirit talisman on her own and awakened.
Their eyes met, and Yin Ji froze. Tears welled in her limpid, autumn-water eyes. Her dignified, gentle face was painted with poignant beauty and joy as she murmured, "You..."
Having uttered merely a single word, she snapped back to reality, realizing the person before her was Yuanshi Tianzun. The only similarity was that defiant, wicked air.
At the same time, Yin Ji saw the veil clutched in his hand.
Panic seized her heart, and she instinctively touched her cheek. As expected, the veil was gone.
"Who told you to take off my veil?" Yin Ji's brows knit sharply. She snatched the black gauze back and thrust a furious palm toward Yuanshi Tianzun's chest.
Yet just as the fierce wind of her palm was about to strike him, she remembered he might still be injured and hurriedly pulled back seventy to eighty percent of her force.
To the guests watching from afar, this looked more like a maiden throwing a petulant fit than genuine rage.
Even in anger, her gentle, lovely face lacked any real intimidation. When a well-bred young lady got angry, she simply pouted and furrowed her brows in frustration.
It only made people want to tease her even more.
Zhang Yuanqing chuckled softly. "Big Sister is so pretty, what's the harm in taking a look?"
Yin Ji's chest heaved. She realized Yuanshi Tianzun was in an abnormal mental state, seemingly tainted by some corruptive force.
Putting her veil back on, she backed away and said coldly, "Your condition is abnormal, so I won't hold this against you."
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing's reason regained the upper hand. He murmured an apology, pressed a hand to his forehead, and stumbled past the crowd toward the lounge behind the dining hall.
*Bang!*
He entered the lounge and closed the door.
*The Ghost Mirror can only suppress emotions; it can't cleanse mental pollution. At times like this, the Demon-Subduing Pestle really is the most useful... Yin Ji is truly gorgeous, no wonder the Demon Lord fell for her.*
Zhang Yuanqing sat by the table and examined his condition. Aside from the churning malice within him, he also felt an overwhelming sense of discord.
His hands, his feet, and his head felt as though they had been forcibly stitched onto his torso, on the verge of falling apart at any second.
This acute sense of disharmony stemmed from his inner self, not his physical body.
*Cleanse the mental pollution first...* Zhang Yuanqing retrieved an Evil-Breaking Talisman from his inventory and slapped it onto his forehead.
The talisman dissolved into scorching golden light, rushing into his sea of consciousness and wiping out a portion of the mental pollution.
He used two more Evil-Breaking Talismans, barely managing to cleanse the corruption and banish the evil thoughts from his heart.
In truth, when the Pure Yang Sect Master severed his own spirit to escape, he had saved not only himself but Zhang Yuanqing as well.
Otherwise, given the ancient cultivator's immense level of corruption, had Zhang Yuanqing devoured it all, he would have instantly fallen into irreversible madness.
However, that extreme sense of discord inside him still did not dissipate.
With the pollution handled, Zhang Yuanqing used the remaining time to ponder how to deal with Elder Dog.
*Given my condition back then, death was practically a certainty. The elders possess vast knowledge and experience; they will definitely be suspicious. If they dig deeper, things will get ugly...*
This was the next difficult obstacle he had to face.
Yet it was not an insurmountable problem. First, everything had transpired inside his sea of consciousness, completely hidden from outsiders, leaving him ample room to fabricate an explanation.
*I can say that Empress Sandao, grateful for my return of the Demon-Subduing Pestle, left me a life-saving item. No, I shouldn't call it an item—a consumable, gone after a single use, leaving behind no evidence.*
Second, this explanation had to be given to Fu Qingyang, not Elder Dog.
Because his boss would help patch any holes in his story, whereas Elder Dog... although they were also on good terms, the bond could not compare to Money Prince's loyalty and affection.
*Should I notify Fu Qingyang to come over? Lingjun will probably tell him.*
Having devised a countermeasure and regained his composure, Zhang Yuanqing reviewed what the Pure Yang Sect Master had said.
*I am a Soul Scatterer. My soul was stitched together. So that was the root of my headaches all along. But why would my soul have scattered? I have no memory of it at all.*
*Is this overwhelming feeling of disharmony because the Pure Yang Sect Master 'chewed' on my spirit, loosening the stitched soul? What do I do about that?*
*The Pure Yang Sect Master said I should have died long ago. Something major happened back when I was in high school, something fatal. No, if my memory is compromised, whether my headaches actually began in high school is also a question mark...*
*Furthermore, he said there was something else wrong with my soul. Aside from being a Soul Scatterer, what other problem is there? Too bad before he could finish, the black moon appeared.*
Inside the lounge, which was furnished like a hotel suite, Zhang Yuanqing leaned back against the chair and muttered in a low voice:
"The power of a Human Immortal..."
One thing was now abundantly clear: a Human Immortal was a demigod, what Spirit Realm Walkers called the supreme pinnacle. The Demon Lord had concealed the supreme object of the Night Walkers inside his character card.
What the Taiyi Sect Master sought was precisely that black moon.
Did that mean the Demon Lord had primarily cultivated the Lunar path?
Following that line of thought, did the miniature sun within the Fallen Holy Grail correspond to the supreme pinnacle of the Day Wanderers?
Additionally, from the Pure Yang Sect Master's memories, he had gleaned some common knowledge about ancient cultivators.
As was widely known, class distinctions had existed since ancient times. However, contrary to what most people assumed, the difference between classes did not stem from the ancient cultivators studying different secret manuals.
What distinguished the classes was not the manuals, but spiritual energy.
Spiritual energy was a collective term for the energies of heaven and earth, divided into many types. Each type gave rise to a specific class and method of cultivation.
In the Pure Yang Sect Master's understanding, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth waned with every passing year, growing thinner day by day.
It was a non-renewable resource.
The ancient texts of the Pure Yang Sect recorded that the last recorded emergence of a Human Immortal had occurred in the early Tang dynasty, and even that was of uncertain authenticity.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, though Human Immortals were scarce, their traces were well-documented.
*I remember Lian Sanyue mentioning that Realm No. 19 has a Tang dynasty backdrop, and an entity surpassing Dominators is suspected to be sealed at the bottom of the abyss. Could it be a Tang dynasty Human Immortal? Uh, it probably wouldn't be that coincidental...*
Back in the dining hall, while the guests rested in place to treat their injuries and recover their stamina, a gentle green light suddenly bloomed on the wrecked floor. A green vine burst through the floor tiles, growing rapidly.
It soon stood over three meters tall. At the top of the vine was a pink bud as large as a water vat.
The bud slowly blossomed. Standing within the petals were a man and a dog.
Fu Qingyang, clad in snow-white clothes and strikingly handsome, stood alongside a curly-haired toy poodle with button-like eyes.
Fu Qingyang cast a cold glance over the devastated hall before turning to Lingjun. "Where is Yuanshi?"
"Your brother here is half dead, and you don't even think to check on me first? It seems our brotherhood has truly faded away. Let's cut ties."
Lingjun looked much better. He pointed toward the back of the dining hall. "He's resting inside. He might have been affected by the Pure Yang Sect Master; just a moment ago, he looked like he was about to commit treason and tear down the ancestors."
Fu Qingyang frowned.
Elder Dog spoke up, "Tell me everything that happened."
Lingjun immediately recounted the full sequence of events of the banquet to Elder Dog and Fu Qingyang, from Yan'er's death to the Dominator-tier item sealing the clubhouse, and finally to the Pure Yang Sect Master's escape.
The surviving official Walkers chimed in from time to time to fill in the gaps.
When Lingjun finished, Gao Shan Liu Shui said with lingering dread:
"The only reason we survived is Yuanshi Tianzun."
The others nodded in unison. Although Lingjun and Yin Ji had also played crucial roles, it was indeed Yuanshi Tianzun who had truly saved them.
Having heard the report, Fu Qingyang left the crowd and walked toward the back of the dining hall.
*Thump!*
He rapped a knuckle against the door and said:
"It's me!"
Without waiting for Yuanshi Tianzun's reply, he turned the handle and pushed the door open.
"Boss..." Sitting by the table, Zhang Yuanqing turned his pale face toward him.
Fu Qingyang scrutinized him for a few seconds and frowned. "You devoured the Pure Yang Sect Master?"
"I devoured a portion. It felt terrible. Compared to my state just now, Demonic Eye looks like an indecisive saint," Zhang Yuanqing said. "But I've cleansed it with Evil-Breaking Talismans."
He was making sure Fu Qingyang understood just how evil the Pure Yang Sect Master was.
Fu Qingyang gave an acknowledging grunt. "Lingjun told me what happened here. There is one thing I don't understand, and I need to ask you."
*Here it comes.* Zhang Yuanqing kept his expression steady. "What is it?"
"How did you repel the Pure Yang Sect Master?" Fu Qingyang's gaze was deep and inscrutable.
"When I returned the Demon-Subduing Pestle to Empress Sandao in the Yaishan dungeon, she drew a talisman in my sea of consciousness as compensation, telling me it could save my life once," Zhang Yuanqing lied smoothly.
Fu Qingyang listened calmly. "Understood."
Late at night.
In the study of the Fujia Bay Villa, Fu Qingyang opened his laptop and logged into an online meeting.
It was a six-person conference room. Aside from him, the participants included Challenger Gao Feng and Liu Shenhai from the Hang City branch, Secretary Li from headquarters, and Elder Dog and Yunzhongzi from Baihui.
Among them, Yunzhongzi was the eldest son of Grand Elder Baihui and the maternal uncle of Miao Teng'er and Lingjun.
This meeting had been initiated by headquarters, and its topic was the attack on the Baihui Club in Songhai City tonight.
The elders attending the meeting were either connected to the Pure Yang Sect Master or related to those attacked tonight.
Secretary Li was the first to speak, his voice low and heavy:
"The Grand Elder has already learned of tonight's tragedy at the Baihui Club. He is deeply grieved and instructed me to convene this meeting to understand the specifics. How many comrades did we lose?"
Elder Dog replied gravely:
"Two Saints, eleven Transcendents, and over thirty service and security personnel. If this Pure Yang Sect Master is not eliminated, the future consequences will be endless."
After tonight's incident, Elder Dog keenly realized just how troublesome an ancient cultivator unrestricted by Morality and Reputation Points truly was.
Secretary Li sighed. "Elder Gao Feng, your burden is heavy. You must pick up the pace."
Elder Gao Feng spoke in an ill-tempered tone:
"The boy from the Liu family told me that the Pure Yang Sect Master acquired a Dominator-tier item—precisely Item No. 2 from the missing list! He was already adept at concealment, and now he has a Dominator-tier item. How are we supposed to handle this?"
Secretary Li fell silent for a moment before saying, "The Grand Elder understands your difficulties. Before the meeting, he mentioned that Elder Fu could assist you."
Fu Qingyang let out a cold chuckle. "Then I must thank the Grand Elder for his high regard."
Anyone could detect the mockery in his tone.
Secretary Li pretended not to notice and said:
"Elder Dog, please provide a detailed report of the incident."
Elder Dog repeated the details he had gathered from Lingjun.
Yunzhongzi spoke up:
"From the looks of it, the Pure Yang Sect Master has begun deliberately hunting official Walkers. His primary targets are Night Walkers and Illusionists, but if given the chance, he won't spare Five Elements Alliance comrades either, as he uses them to acquire items and strengthen himself.
"Tonight, it was fortunate that Yuanshi Tianzun was there. Otherwise, Teng'er and Lingjun would have been dead for sure."
Liu Shenhai gave an acknowledging grunt. "A Grade B Merit is entirely deserved, and the monetary reward should not be lacking either. Post the announcement on the forum tomorrow."
Although his grandson Liu Zhiyi had spoken ill of Yuanshi Tianzun during his report and tearfully complained about being brutally mistreated by him, such matters were trivial to Elder Liu.
His grandson Liu Zhiyi bullied people all the time, and he was frequently beaten by the descendants of other elders as well. Elder Liu cared little for petty squabbles between youngsters.
Secretary Li nodded. "Merits must be rewarded, and faults punished. Yuanshi Tianzun rendered great service and naturally deserves to be rewarded."
Pausing briefly, he asked, "Elder Dog, there is one thing I don't understand. How did he repel the Pure Yang Sect Master?"
Fu Qingyang stated indifferently:
"Empress Sandao left him a life-saving trump card."
His response was curt, tinged with a tone that made it clear he had no desire to elaborate.
Secretary Li was inclined to press further, but noticed that Fu Qingyang had already muted his microphone. Assuming the young master of the Fu family was displeased by the order to assist Elder Gao Feng, he thought better of it and simply said:
"Submit the full details in a written report to me later."
Elder Dog said:
"According to Yuanshi Tianzun's report and the confirmation of those present, the Pure Yang Sect Master was heavily wounded. In the short term, he likely won't strike again and will choose to lie low.
"This man cultivates both the Night Walker and Illusionist paths and is completely unrestricted by Morality Points. Finding him will not be easy; it is bound to be a prolonged war of attrition. I suggest passing this task to the Taiyi Sect.
"After all, those who understand Night Walkers best are Night Walkers themselves."
This was effectively removing Fu Qingyang from the matter.
"Excellent idea!" Elder Gao Feng agreed with both hands.
Secretary Li considered it and said, "I will convey your recommendations to the Grand Elder. Does anyone have anything to add?"
Elder Liu said, "I heard from Zhiyi that Yuanshi Tianzun went mad?"
At these words, several elders immediately grew attentive.
"He devoured a portion of the Pure Yang Sect Master's spirit and suffered significant mental pollution, but he has already recovered," Fu Qingyang unmuted himself to say.
Secretary Li said:
"This is no small matter. Arrange a psychologist for him soon to help counsel his emotions.
"Meeting adjourned."
The night was hazy and desolate.
An old street lined with parasol trees, dim streetlamps, outdated residential buildings... This seemed to be some old district, late at night, without a single car on the road.
Zhang Yuanqing thought silently to himself.
For some reason, intense fear and sorrow gripped his heart, as though he had just endured a parting of life and death.
A parting from whom? He could not remember.
Why was he here?
He could not remember that either.
At that moment, a sigh drifted from behind him: "The Chu family is gone. I'm sorry, I couldn't save your parents. From now on, you will live in Songhai."
The voice was both strange and familiar.
*Who is speaking?*
Zhang Yuanqing turned around in confusion, only to see a handsome man with a gentle expression standing by the curb several meters behind him.
His face was slightly pale, with a sickly air lingering between his brows, as though in poor health.
Seeing this man, the emotions inside Zhang Yuanqing's mind exploded at once.
*Father?*
This was his father, Zhang Zizhen.
Just as he was about to call out "Dad," he heard himself utter a young girl's tender, tear-choked voice:
"I don't want to depend on others! I don't want to go with you! My clan will come looking for me! When I grow up, I will slaughter every single one of my enemies, leaving not one alive!"
The scene shattered.
Inside the bedroom of the Fujia Bay Villa, Zhang Yuanqing gasped violently as he jerked awake.
Bright sunlight poured through the window, and the chirping of birds in the garden filtered faintly through the soundproof glass. The air conditioner hummed, blowing cool air, while a familiar fragrance drifted past his nose.
Zhang Yuanqing's mind was in utter turmoil, his thoughts churning like an old ox stuck in the mud, unable to move at all.
He had even momentarily forgotten who he was and what his name was.
A man? A little girl? Or... the Pure Yang Sect Master?
"Does your head hurt badly?" A gentle voice filled with concern sounded beside his ear.
The voice was like a lighthouse in the dark of night, guiding Zhang Yuanqing back to his bearings and his home.
He remembered who he was.
Zhang Yuanqing turned his head. Lying on the pillow beside him was a charming, exquisitely contoured face, its mixed-race features giving her an air that was both mature and sensuous.
"Sister Guan Ya..." Zhang Yuanqing's heart settled instantly. He instinctively wrapped his arms around the mixed-race beauty's voluptuous, fiery figure, habitually resting one hand on her waist and the other on her hip.
Only then did pleasant surprise register in his mind. "You're out of the dungeon?"
Guan Ya had emerged from the dungeon at four in the morning. At the time, Queen and Xie Lingxi were sitting in the living room in their pajamas, looking burdened by worry as they talked.
Only after asking did Guan Ya learn that Yuanshi had nearly died at the Baihui Club, and that after Lingjun had taken him to the banquet hosted by Miao Teng'er, they had been ambushed by the Pure Yang Sect Master.
When Fu Qingyang brought him back, his complexion had been dreadful, completely exhausted.
Queen and Xie Lingxi had learned the full story from Fu Qingyang only after Zhang Yuanqing went to sleep.
Too worried to rest, the two of them had sat in the living room all night until Guan Ya cleared her dungeon.
Upon learning of her boyfriend's ordeal, Guan Ya washed up quickly and went to keep him company in her pajamas.
"How are you feeling? Is there anywhere else that hurts?" Guan Ya gently rubbed the space between his brows, not bothering to stop his wandering hands as she usually did.
"After sleeping, much better." Zhang Yuanqing's head was still heavy and groggy.
The mental pollution had disappeared, but that awkward sense of discord lingered faintly, making him deeply uncomfortable.
Basking in Guan Ya's massage and inhaling her body scent, Zhang Yuanqing's heart gradually calmed.
He could not help recalling the dream he had just had.
When his father died, he had only just started elementary school. He had very few memories of paternal love, and over the past ten-plus years, he had almost never dreamed of him.
He had not expected to dream of him today.
The dream had been utterly bizarre. Aside from his father, there had been a little girl. What his father said gave Zhang Yuanqing a profound sense of déjà vu—saying that the Chu family was gone, and that she would live in Songhai from now on.
He felt as though he had heard similar words somewhere before.
*The Chu family is gone... a little girl... Father...*
*Wait?!* Zhang Yuanqing bounced straight up from the bed.
This time, his mind was completely awake.
Chapter 396